Ash tray adapter



A g- 3 F. A. VOLLENDER, JR 2,647,523

ASH TRAY ADAPTER Filed March 16, 1950 Ferd/hand A. Vol/ender; Jr.

INVENTOR.

BY WW 3M Patented Aug. 4, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ASH TRAYADAPTER Ferdinand A. Vollender, JrQ, Guttenberg, N. J. Application March16, 1950, Serial No. 149,916

This invention comprises novel and useful improvements in an ash trayadapter and more specifically pertains to an'attachment which may bereleasably secured upon the side walls of a container for adapting thesame for use as an ash tray.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an attachment oradapter which may be easily applied to the upper edge of the side wallof any suitable container and when so applied will function to support aburning cigar or cigarette in such a position as to enable the containerto receive the ashes of the same.

A further object of this invention is to provide an attachment oradapter in conformity with the preceding object, which shall be of avery simple, inexpensive and light weight construction, and ideallyadapted for ready fabrication by mass production methods from sheetmetal or other similar materials for dispensing at a very economicalcost.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an adapter orattachment which shall have a resilient clamping action upon the sidewalls of a container, and yet may be readily applied to or releasedtherefrom.

Yet another important object of the invention is to provide an ash trayadapter and attachment as set forth in the foregoing objects which isespecially adapted for fabrication as a unitary article from a single orintegral sheet of material. :1.

A still further important object of the invention is to provide anadapter in conformity with the above mentioned objects and which shallhave a clamping means releasably engageable upon the side walls of acontainer for securely l supporting the attachment therefrom, and whichpreferred embodiments of which have been illustrated, by way of exampleonly, in the a'c-' companying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment incorporatingthe principles of the invention therein;

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantiallyupon the plane indicated by the section line 22 of Figure 1, bothFigures 1 and 2 showing the device applied to the rim of a can or thelike;

3 Claims- (Cl. 131-257) Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional viewtaken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 3-3 ofFigure 2; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention.

Referring now more specifically to the accompanying drawings, whereinlike numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views,attention is first made to the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1-3 ofthe drawings. In this form of the invention there is disclosed anattachment or adapter indicated generally by the numeral Ill and whichis shown mounted upon the upper portion of the side wall l2 of acontainer M of any desired type. This container can be any discarded canor the like, which may be available,sinc'e the primary purpose of thisinvention is to provide a device readily attachable to such a can forconverting the same into use as an ash tray.

In the form of the invention disclosed in Figures 13, the attachment oradapter H1 includes a horizontally disposed flat strip of material [6,which at what may be termed its outer portion is provided with upwardlycurved side walls [8, defining a U-shaped trough therebetween as clearlyshown in Figure 3. This trough is, of course, preferably open at both ofits ends, in order that a cigarette, cigar or the like may be readilydisposed therein, easily removed therefrom and securely supportedagainst displacement when placed upon the device.

At its inner extremity, the fiat portion I6 is provided'with aperpendicular, depending leg 20, which preferably has an inturned flange22 at its lower extremity. Obviouslyfthis flange could be at any desiredpoint along the length of the depending leg 20, and the flange serves asan abutment surface engaging the inner surface of the side wall l2 ofthe container M, as readily disclosed in Figures 1 and 2.

Intermediate the depending leg 20 and the curved sidewalls I8 of thetray, the fiat portion I6 is provided with laterally extending members24, see particularly Figure 3, which at their outer ends are providedwith depending ears 26 disposed in parallel relation with respect toeach other.

In addition to the relatively fixed leg 20, the device disclosed inFigures 1-3 includes a movable leg, the same including a dependingmember 28, which at its lower extremity is provided with a forwardlyturned flange 30, similar to the flange 22, and adapted to grip orengage the outside surface of the side wall I2 of the container I4.

A pivot pin 40 extends through the nested ears 26 and 34, and pivotallyconnects the tray and fixed jaw to the movable jaw and to the handleextending therefrom, this handle consisting of the members 32 and 34. Aresilient means is provided for resiliently urging the jaws or legs 28and 20 towards each other for resiliently gripping and clamping the sidewall l2 of the container l4 therebetween in order that the device may beresiliently yet releasably mounted and supported upon the upper portionof the side wall of the container. This resilient means preferablyincludes a wire spring consisting oi a helical coil 42 which embracesthe pivot pin M) between the nested ears, this spring having arms M andit with transverse terminals 48- and 50, respectively engaging the undersurface of the tray and the topsurface of the horizontal member 32; Thisspring evenly urges the jaws or legs into their closed position as shownin Fig.- ure 2;

In the operation of this form of the invention, it will be seen that thetray and the handle portion 32 enable the spring to be. compressedwhereby the clamping jaws or legs may be open and the device may beinstalled or removed from the satisfactory for: application to difEerentsizes and types of containers, a much simpler and less expensiveconstruction is disclosed in Figure 1,. the same consisting of av singleintegral sheet metal blank, comprising angularly disposed portions respectively forming a tray indicated generally at 54 and. a clampgenerally indicated at 56. As shown, the blank from which thisembodiment is fabricated bent.- at substantially its. mid-portion atright angles so that the clamping portion 56 will depend trom ahorizontally disposed tray portion 54. with parallel, upwardly curvingside: walls 58 which are similar to the walls l8 oi the previousembodiment, and. which in cross section are substantially semi-circularto providea cylindrical trough or tray of a proper size tor retaining acigarette or the like The clamping, portion 56. is preferably formed byvertically sliding the depending fiat, sheet metal member 80 by a pairof parallel slots 62 from the lower edge thereof, thus providing a pairof parallel outer legs 64, and an intermediate leg 66.

It is preferred to have the outer legs 64 substantially straight, andthese legs at their lower 'ends, or any convenient portion intermediatetheir ends, are provided with inturned flanges 68 similar in utility toflanges 22 previously described.

However; the intermediate leg 66 is preferably bowed outwardly from thestraight legs 64-, and

llhe tray portion-l itself is provided resilient nature, and the legs 64and 66 are given a permanent bias or set with respect to each other sothat the bowed or convex portion of the leg 65 may be pressed intoalignment with the outer surface of the legs 64, thereby moving theflange 16 to the inner side of the legs 64 and in spaced relation to theflanges 68 so that the side wall of a container may be inserted betweenthe legs by lowering the device thereon in a manner which will bereadily understood. When released, the normal bias of the legs willcause the flange E2 to engage the outside surface and the flange t8 theinside surface of the side wall of a container to frictionally andresiliently but detachably hold the device in proper and firm positionupon the upper portion of the rim or upper edge of the side wall.

It is a very prime advantage of this invention to provide a readilyremovable attachment which may be easily applieclto or removed from anydiscarded container or the like for temporarily adapting the same tofunction as an ash tray.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the devicetogether with its many advantages will be readily understood and furtherexplanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerousmodifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the artafter a consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanyingdrawings, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exactconstruction shown and described, but all suitable modifications andequivalents may be resorted. to, falling within the scope oi theappended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. An ash tray adapter comprising a substantially horizontal cigarettereceiving tray, a depending clamping means atone end. of said trayadapted to engage the upper portion of the. opposite sides of the: sidewall of a container, said clamping means comprising an integral depending. leg engageable with the inner surface of said container side walland a. depending leg pivoted on the tray and engageable with the outersurface-of. said container side wall, a handle integral with saidpivoted leg, and a spring engaging said tray and handle biasing saidlegs toward each other, said. integral leg having a flange inturnedtoward said tray adapted to engage said container side wall innersurface.

2. An ash tray adapter comprising a cigarette receiving trough having aleg depending integrally from one end thereof, ears depending from thesides of said trough adjacent said one end thereof, a lever disposedbelow and substantially parallel to said tray, ears rising from, thesides oisaid lever adjacent one end thereof and being in juxtapositionwith said trough cars, a pivot pin extending through said juxtaposedears and securing said lever and trough to one another, a leg;integrally depending from said one end of said lever, and resilientmeans on said pivot adapted to engage the trough and lever to urge said.lever leg toward said trough leg for clamping the to ash tray.

3. An ash tray adapter comprising an elongated cigarette receiving. trayhaving a leg depending integrally from one end thereof, a lever disposedbelow and substantially parallel to said tray, a leg depending from oneend of said lever in substantially parallel, adjacent relation to saidtray leg, lugs in pairs on said tray and said lever at the ends fromwhich their legs depend, the lugs of said lever nesting within the lugsof 5 the tray and being pivotaliy secured to the latter Number lug, andresilient means interposed between said 46,692 tray and said leveradapted to urge the tray and 1,802,332 lever away from one anotherthereby urging said 2,047,786

legs toward one another. 4 5 2,272,084

FERDINAND A. VOLLENDER, JR. 2,400,433

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS gzNumber Name Date 10 402: 32 D. 56,963 Fields Jan. 25, 1921 Name DateMorse et a1. Mar. 7, 1865 Burns Apr. 28, 1931 Kuntz July 14, 1936 ClappFeb. 3, 1942 Cochran May 21, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date GreatBritain 1898 Great Britain Dec. '7, 1933

